This was the first detailed written constitution adopted by the English state. It provided a legal basis for the rule of Oliver Cromwell and the Major Generals between 1653 and 1657.
The Instrument of Government
Fact of the Day
In 1385, London appointed its first sanitary officer, the serjeant of the Channel, to keep the streets free of rubbish.
Quote of the Day
"Revolution is not an apple that falls when it's ripe. You have to make it fall.
"
~ Che Guevara
On This Day
43 BCE The assassination of Cicero, requested by Marc Antony. When his head was delivered to Anthony, his wife, Fulvia, spat on it and jabbed hairpins into his tongue.
1732 The Theatre Royal, now known as the Covent Garden Opera House, opened with a performance of the Beggar's Opera.
1787 Delaware became the first state of the modern United States.
1817 Rear-Admiral William Bligh died. He had been captain of HMS Bounty during the mutiny.
1941 The Japanese launched a surprise attack on the American naval base a Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, killing 2,403.
1982 Charles Brooks Jr became the first person to be executed by lethal injection, with a huge dose of 'truth serum'
